THE BARBER CUSHION TUBE

Increasing damage-claims costs, decreasing rail shipment, and higher care maintenance costs have spurred railroad interest in special underframe cushioning devices. The Barber cushion-tube arrangement is one of a number of such devices. It is unique in its action, however, in that it is essentially a combination of the two basic ideas of cushioning, which are: Sufficient cushioning in the draft gear-bolster area and an independently acting center structure which is continuous through the length of the car underframe. The cushion tube makes possible the utilization of both draft gears of the car in buff so as to increase the absorptive capacity of the system by more than two times. This device is an economical means of increasing cushioning capacity which, to date, has had an extremely good record of lading protection and reduction of damage claims in shipments of a variety of products.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08992029
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in Anthology of Rail Vehicle Dynamics, Volume 1: Freight Car Impact. The anthology was sponsored by the Rail Transportation Division, ASME. Presented at the Winter Annual Meeting, New York, N.Y., Nov. 26-Dec. 1, 1961.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  Two Park Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10016-5990
• Authors:
  • Williams, R C
  • Guins, S G
• Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 71-76
• Serial:
  • Publication of: ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS
  • Publisher: Association of American Railroads
  • ISSN: 0899-2029

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cushioning materials; Freight cars; Impacts; Loss and damage
• Old TRIS Terms: Barber cushion tube; Cushioning; Lading protection
• Subject Areas: Materials; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00047441
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 14 1974 12:00AM